Assignment 1 for CSE 130/DXARTS 198A

Spring Quarter, 2008

Read Chapter 1 by Thursday (April 3). Read Chapter 2 by Monday (April 7). Chapter 1 is available here. Chapter 2 is also available.


In groups of two, prepare and make a presentation about a visual illusion. Select an illusion from the set shown at Dr. Michael Bach's site: 71 Optical Illusions and Visual Phenomena. Choose one that nobody else in the class is doing. (Sign up during class on Monday.) For your illusion do the following: (a) create a small graphic, normally on a sheet of paper, but if necessary on the computer or at a web site of some kind; (b) tell the name of the illusion, what the observer is supposed to experience, and what instructions the observer needs to follow; (c) explain how it works, or why the human visual system reacts the way it does; (d) identify at least one authoritative reference that you used. If you used the Wikipedia or similar unreviewed publication, then be sure to identify another reference, one that is authoritative. In your presentation, you may use a computer, but it should be possible to load up and deliver your presentation in a total of 3 minutes. If you do use a computer, please bring your presentation on a Flash drive or on your own laptop. The presentations will be given during class starting on Thursday.